Bartleby the Scrivener

“Gradually I slid into the persuasion that these troubles of mine touching the scrivener, had been all predestinated from eternity, and Bartleby was billeted upon me for some mysterious purpose of an all-wise Providence, which it was not for a mere mortal like me to fathom. Yes, Bartleby, stay there behind your screen, thought I; I shall persecute you no more; you are harmless and noiseless as any of these old chairs; in short, I never feel so private as when I know you are here. At least I see it, feel it; I penetrate to the predestinated purpose of my life. I am content. Others may have loftier parts to enact; but my mission in this world, Bartleby, is to furnish you with office-room for such period as you may see fit to remain.” (Melville)

This passage is important to the story as you can see the narrator starting to change his viewpoint about the scrivener Bartleby. Up to this point, once Bartleby stopped copying for the narrator, the narrator was doing everything he could think of to either get Bartleby to start copying again or to get him to leave. This sudden change in thinking on the part of the narrator seems to be a change of heart and a feeling of responsibility toward the wellbeing of the scrivener. The thought of the narrator that Bartleby was put into his life for a purpose, even one as menial as giving the man “office-room,” shows the reader that a sudden change in a person’s stand on something can be for the better and that there is a belief in something beyond himself. This passage contributes to the story by showing that the narrator is not a bad person, but actually one with morals and beliefs and that, though he did end up changing his mind about Bartleby staying, he did have good intentions and was attempting to assist this man without any real benefit to himself. 

The narrator says, “I shall persecute you no more” (Melville) and “my mission in this world, Bartleby, is to furnish you with office-room for such period as you may see fit to remain.” (Melville) The use of the word persecute indicates that the narrator had, in a sense, condemned Bartleby for his refusal to do certain things and realized that it was not his position to judge this man or his actions. Also in the narrator’s belief that his mission was to allow Bartleby with a place he shows a certain level of understanding that there are things bigger than him and gives the reader the question of “why is he there?” to ponder. This passage makes the reader think about the possible underlying meaning behind the story and how this story affects them. It also proposes the question to the reader: What would I do in this situation?

This link is to a very interesting summary and analysis on this story. I hope, if you read it, it will give you another view for the story like it did me.

Works Cited

Melville, H. M. Bartleby, the scrivener: A story of wall street. New York, NY: Putnam's Magazine, 1853. paragraph 167. Print.